


Harder to Breathe

by parapraxis



Category: Adam Levine (Musician), Blake Shelton (Musician), Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M, M/M, Real Person Slash - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-24 17:16:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4928290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parapraxis/pseuds/parapraxis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Blake files for divorce, Adam is there to help him start picking up the pieces again, but when Blake starts to date around, Adam finds himself inexplicably jealous.  Eventual Shevine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BRIKAYLACOLE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BRIKAYLACOLE/gifts).



> This is a real person slash based on Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. If you are offended by fics that involved real celebrities, do not read this. You have been warned. All the events in this fic are pure speculation and should not be taken as truth.

Prologue

**Monday July 6, 2015 - Pottawatomie County Courthouse; Shawnee, Oklahoma**

Blake sat in his truck, staring at the documents in his hand that had been emailed to him late last night. Petition for Divorce. It was a hard pill to swallow, so he reached for the travel mug filled with vodka and ice and took several swigs to wash it down. 

When Miranda had told him they needed some time apart to clear their minds and figure out how to fix their marriage, Blake knew it was a waste of time. 

_It’s too late. I’m filing._ He had texted to her on Saturday just before calling his lawyer to draw up the papers. With the prenup agreement in place, it was just a matter of filing the petition with the courthouse.

That didn’t mean that this was easy, though. Blake felt devastated that things had gotten bad enough between he and Miranda that they’d wanted to separate in the first place, but he knew--deep down-- that whatever had broken in their relationship wasn’t fixable. He loved her, but it was over. As George Strait had once sang, this was where the cowboy rides away. 

Blake took in a deep breath, then got out of his truck and headed across the street to the Pottawatomie County Courthouse. In an hour he would meet up with his private jet at the Shawnee Municipal Airport and be on his way to L.A. for filming of Season 9 of The Voice. It was strange how the world kept turning in moments like this. How despite the fact that his world felt like it was crumbling down around him, he still kept going. He had to. What he felt, what he was going through...he couldn’t let it affect everything else, or he knew he’d never be able to get beyond this. 

“It is what it is.” He resigned to himself as he climbed the steps and disappeared into the building.

Three hours and several vodkas into his flight, Blake received a text from Miranda.

_I signed the papers. Once the judge signs off it, it’ll be final. I guess for all intents and purposes...We’re divorced._

He stared at the message with mixed feelings, the alcohol only partially numbing the ache in his heart as his eyes blurred with tears. As he pondered what the hell to say in response to her, a second message came through.

_We need to think about how we’re going to announce it, but not yet. I can’t. Not now._

_Me neither._ Blake replied, before tapping out the only thing he could think to say. _I’m sorry._

Knowing he didn’t need to be on set until the following morning, Blake drained the rest of his drink and switched to something a little stronger than vodka. As he chewed a piece of whiskey-coated ice, he found Adam’s number in his phone and fired off an S.O.S. to his friend.

_Need you tonight. Please._

* * *

Chapter One

Adam pulled up in front of the valet station and waited until the attendant had come over to him before he got out of the car. Though this was Hollywood, and most people who worked in the service industry were accustomed to seeing famous faces, Adam still got a kick out of seeing the “holy shit” looks on people’s faces when they recognized him. It was the sign of a true fan, but he knew that 99% of the time the people weren’t allowed to let on that they even knew who he was. 

“Will you be staying with us tonight, Mr. Levine?” The valet asked, as close to saying ‘I’m a huge fan’ as he possibly could. 

Adam smiled but shook his head, taking the time to read the young man’s name badge. “No, Josh, just visiting a friend for a little bit.”

“Of course, sir. Do you know what room your party is in, or shall I contact the front desk for you?”

“I know the room, man, thanks.” Adam took his valet ticket, slipping the kid a nice tip just in case he wasn’t still on the clock when Adam left, then headed into the hotel. 

The text from Blake had been a little disconcerting, especially since the other man had actually said ‘please.’ Though he hadn’t been able to pull the information out of his friend, Adam knew that something was wrong, and he’d be lying if he said his stomach wasn’t a little knotted up about it.

The elevator ride up to the VIP suites seemed to take hours, but he finally found himself standing in front of Blake’s hotel door, taking a deep breath to steel his nerves against whatever was going on before he raised his hand to knock. 

“Yeah, hold on,” came the the familiar deep drawl from inside the room. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a very disheveled and red-eyed Blake Shelton, half-empty whiskey bottle in hand. 

Adam felt the joke about whether or not Blake had given up on using a glass die in his throat as he looked at his best friend. Though he was sure a lot of the redness in Blake’s eyes and on his cheeks and nose were a result of his very inebriated state, Adam knew that Blake had also been crying. Whatever eventuality he had readied himself to face that day, he still wasn’t prepared to handle that. 

“Dude…” he finally managed, his voice sounding tight even to his own ears as he put a hand on Blake’s shoulder and backed him into the room so they wouldn’t have the possibility of an audience. “Blake, what happened? What’s wrong?”

Rather than reply, Blake threw his arms around Adam, squeezing him so tight the other man was finding it hard to breathe. Adam felt Blake start to lose it again, his broad body starting to wrack with quiet sobs. Blake pressed his face against Adam’s neck, and he could feel the wetness of tears against his skin.

Adam instinctively clutched Blake against him, but seeing his friend like this was too much. “Blake, you’re totally freaking me out right now. Talk to me, man...please?”

“It’s over,” Blake cried softly, sniffling as he pulled away from Adam and wiped his face with his hand. “Miranda and I...we’re...we…” Blake took a deep, shuddering breath. “I filed this morning. She signed the papers. We’re divorced. Or, we will be once the judge finalizes it all.”

Adam stared at the the other man for several moments, trying to comprehend the words. “Holy shit, dude… Blake, I’m so...sorry, man.” He had no idea what else he could possibly say, so he opened his arms back up to Blake. The taller man immediately moved back into the hug. “I know you said you guys were having some problems, but I had no idea it was that bad.” 

“It all got to be too much. The fighting, the jealousy, the rumors.” Blake pulled back again and stumbled towards the couch, falling onto it and taking a long swig from the bottle. “We used to laugh at all the bullshit the tabloids wrote about us, but some of it just started hitting home, y’know?”

Adam sat in a chair near Blake, leaning forward as he listened to his friend. “She accused me of cheating, I accused her of cheating, and it just...blew up. She said we needed some time apart but I just...ended it.”

“Why?”

Blake looked at Adam, a tear rolling down his cheek. “Because she did.”

“Did what?” 

The look that Blake gave him answered the question, but Adam still couldn’t believe it.

“Wait...what? Miranda cheated on you? You’re sure?”

“She told me nothing happened, but I could tell she wasn’t telling me everything. Whoever it was, they might not have had sex, but there was something she wasn’t being honest about, and that’s the one thing that I can’t forgive, y’know? There’s three kinds of people in this world that I can’t trust--thieves, cheaters and liars. She broke my trust; that's not something I could ever give her again.”

“When did all this go down, man?” Adam still couldn’t believe was he was hearing.

“Friday night.” Blake paused to take another drink. “We yelled and screamed at each other for a good hour before she left and went to spend the night with one of her girlfriends. By the time she texted me the next day saying she wanted some time apart, I’d already made the call to have the papers drawn up. I knew if I couldn’t trust her 100%, I couldn’t stay married to her. No matter how much I still loved her.”

Whether or not Adam thought the decision was rash didn’t matter. He knew he needed to support his friend regardless of his own opinion. “Dude, that seriously sucks, but if you knew you couldn’t trust her again, then it was better to get out before you both ended up hating each other and being resentful. That would have just made things messier later on.”

“I just...I don’t know what to do now.” Blake’s expression reminded Adam of someone who had just lost everything--and perhaps he had. Blake and Miranda were country music’s power couple. If you weren’t in their circle of friends, you would have no idea that they ever even fought. Moving on from that was going to be hard, and Adam couldn’t even imagine the kind of field day the press was going to have once the news was out.

Adam breathed out a long, slow breath as he looked at Blake. “Well… first thing is you’ve got to stop drinking. You’re totally wasted, dude, and if you don’t stop now, you’re not going to be able to function tomorrow.” He got up from his chair and took the bottle out of Blake’s hand, surprised that he didn’t get an argument from the already borderline alcoholic. “Second thing is, you’re going to go shower while I order up some food, because I’m betting you’ve had nothing but alcohol for at least two days and you need something to soak all the shit up.”

“Y’know, I didn’t call you over here so you could mother hen me.” Blake finally protested as Adam started to pull him off the couch.

“Yeah? Well, too bad because I’m not going to sit here and watch you drown your sorrows and pickle your liver.” Adam escorted Blake to the bathroom, mostly because he didn’t trust that the other man would be able to make it on his own. “Think you can manage to get undressed and get showered by yourself?”

“Why?” Blake asked, moving a little closer to Adam and giving him that flirty little smirk he was famous for. “You wanna help me?”

Adam wasn’t in the mood for Blake’s advances and gave him an annoyed look. “I’m serious, dude. I don’t want you to slip and fall and hit your head or something because you’re too drunk to stand up straight.”

Relenting, Blake nodded. “I’m fine, Adam. I’ve been on worse benders than this.”

“How are you even still alive?” Adam asked, appalled by his friend’s blatant disregard for his own health. He didn’t give Blake time to answer before he turned and left the room, leaving the bathroom door open in case Blake did need him for something. 

He grabbed the hotel portfolio on the desk that contained the room service menu and, knowing what Blake liked to eat, called in the order. Heading back into the adjoining bedroom, Adam dug into Blake’s unpacked suitcase and found a pair of long sleep pants and a t-shirt, laying them out on the bed before he ducked his head into the bathroom. Blake’s clothes and boots where in a pile in the middle of the floor and steam was billowing out from behind the shower curtain.

“Doing okay, man?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Adam sat up on the bathroom counter, watching the shower curtain. “I ordered you something to eat. It should be here in about 15 minutes.”

Blake’s head appeared around the front of the curtain, shampoo lathered into a fauxhawk on his head. “Seriously, Adam, stop mothering henning me.” He disappeared back around the curtain with a muttered, “Jackass.”

“You’re welcome,” Adam called back, taking Blake’s complaints as a thank you. 

For several moments, all that could be heard was the sounds of the water, then Blake spoke up again. “You think I overreacted, don’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, Blake.” Adam answered. “People handle their shit differently; what matters is what you think.”

“You know what she was like,” Blake said. “She never trusted me for shit. I know I’m a huge flirt, but I never cheated on her. Ever.”

“I think that’s just a woman thing--and I’m not saying that because I’m misogynistic or something--but in my experience girls are always super prone to jealousy. I mean that’s the shit that’s going on with me and Behati right now. She says I flirt too much.”

“It’s just part of who we are,” Blake said. “It doesn’t mean anything; it’s just fun to play around. Why don’t they get that?”

“I dunno, man. I wish I knew. It makes me feel like I can’t even talk to women just casually because she’ll take it the wrong way.”

“I hear ya.” Blake replied.

The water shut off and Blake threw the curtain back before reaching for a towel. Adam’s eyes couldn’t help but travel down Blake’s body before he snapped his gaze up, cleared his throat and hopped off the counter. “I laid out your pajamas on the bed. Food should be here in a minute.”

“Hey, Adam?” The sincerity in Blake’s voice made the other man stop in the doorway and look back. “Thanks. For everything. You’re the only one I’ve told about this.”

Adam nodded softly and left the bathroom. He went over to the mini fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. He opened one and took several swigs as he waited for Blake to dry off and get dressed. A knock on the door signaled the arrival of food, and Adam moved to answer it, letting the room service attendant bring in the tray. 

He signed Blake’s name on the ticket, gave the man a tip, and set the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch with the bottle of water from the fridge. Blake emerged from the bedroom in the pajama bottoms Adam had picked out, still rubbing the towel over his damp hair. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, which struck Adam as odd, despite the fact that he’d just seen Blake completely nude.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a shirt on.”

“Very few people have. There’s not a lot of call for tall white guys with beer guts.” Blake quipped as he draped the towel over his shoulders and sat on the couch, looking at the food Adam had ordered him.

Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not that bad, dude. It’s kind of cute on you.”

Blake looked up at Adam with a bemused expression and Adam felt himself blushing.

“I mean, it would be weird to see you with some sick abs or something. You’d look like the Brawny paper towel man.”

Blake laughed and uncapped his water. “Man, that’s the first time I’ve laughed since...shit, I can’t even remember.“

“That’s what I’m here for,” Adam smiled, sitting next to Blake and grabbing the remote. He flipped the TV to one of the premium movie channels, hoping that the distraction would help Blake to relax a little and take his mind off of what was going on. 

“You didn’t want anything to eat?” Blake asked as he picked up the fully loaded burger and took a bite.

“Nah, I’m not really hungry.” 

“I’ll share my fries,” Blake offered, scooting the tray of food closer to Adam. 

“Alright, just one.” Adam reached over and snatched up a fry, popping it into his mouth and chewing.

“Seriously, Adam, have as many as you want. I won’t eat ‘em all.”

Adam relented and helped Blake finish some of the fries and a few bites of his burger before Blake shoved the tray off to the side and they both kicked their feet up on the coffee table, watching Kill The Messenger. 

As the movie went on, Adam could feel Blake’s hand creeping closer to him, and he knew what the other man was looking for. He laid his hand in the narrow space between them on the couch, palm up in invitation, and Blake slid his hand over Adam’s, linking their fingers together. 

Even though Blake knew that Adam hated whenever he stroked his hand with his thumb, he couldn’t help but do it. It always gave him comfort, and--thankfully--tonight Adam let him get away with it. He found himself focusing on Adam more than the movie, and wished he could read the other man’s mind. The two were good friends, of course, but it wasn’t a secret that Blake was attracted to Adam. Blake would never classify himself as gay, but he also didn’t see the harm in being with another guy. Adam liked to joke around with him, but Blake never really knew exactly what Adam’s feelings for him were. Sometimes he would initiate the hugs or kisses or hand holding, while other times he didn’t want any part of it. 

Blake knew they both played the bromance up in front of the cameras, but even when there were no cameras around, they were still really, really close. The only thing that had ever stopped Blake from fooling around had been Miranda. Now that that barrier was gone, he knew he was going to have a hard time trying not to push Adam further. He would have to keep reminding himself that Adam was still married...but that wasn’t going to stop him from having fun with someone else, or several someone elses’. 

“What’s rattling around in that tiny little brain of yours?” Adam teased quietly when he realized Blake wasn’t paying attention to the movie. 

“Would you fuck me if you weren’t married?” Blake blurted out.

“Wow.” Adam shook Blake’s hand off of his and dropped his feet to the floor, sitting up to look at Blake. “You really like making things weird, don’t you?”

“What? I’m just asking!”

“You’re drunk and emotionally fucked up right now, so I’m going to cut you a lot of slack, but c’mon, man. I don’t want to think about that.”

“Why not? I’m not asking you to sleep with me, I’m just asking if you would.”

“No, Blake, I wouldn’t sleep with you. Okay? Cool? Can we just watch the movie?”

“Why are you getting so upset?”

“I’m not upset. It just creeps me out when you get all...gross like that.”

“What did I do that was gross?”

“Dude. Seriously. Just drop it.” 

Blake could tell that, despite his words, Adam was getting upset, so he let it go. There’d always been a fine line of what Adam would accept as okay and what he considered too much. A lot of the time Blake liked to cross that line just for fun, but tonight he was being serious and just asking a hypothetical question. 

“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to rile you up.”

Adam ignored Blake’s comment, focusing on the TV. As the minutes began to tick by, Blake didn’t try to reclaim his hand, which made Adam feel bad for going off on his friend like that. He knew Blake was harmless, that he would never try anything like that, but it still made him uncomfortable to think about for some reason. Trying to silently show the other man that he wasn’t mad and that they were okay, Adam laid down on the couch and put his head in Blake’s lap. Blake’s hand rested on his side, that damn thumb stroking him absently, but making Adam feel safe and warm. It actually sent a sharp pang into Adam’s heart as he considered he should be doing this for Blake, not the other way around, but the Oklahoma native didn’t seem bothered one bit by their current position. 

When the movie ended and the credits began to play, Adam felt his hair being stroked gently and Blake’s voice softly saying his name. He’d fallen asleep without realizing it. 

“Shit, dude...sorry.” He said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t mean to pass out on you.”

Blake just grinned and shook his head. “I didn’t mind. Pretty sure I might’ve dozed off a few times myself.”

“I better get home before my wife sends out a search party. Promise me you won’t drink any more tonight?”

“I promise. I’m going to get another bottle of water and go to bed. I’m pretty wiped out.”

“Okay.” Adam stood up and stretched as Blake stood up as well. “Listen man, why don’t I pick you up tomorrow instead of the studio car. I can call Carson and have him meet us for breakfast.”

Blake nodded, “Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks, Adam.” The country singer opened his arms first this time and Adam walked into the hug, still finding it strange that Blake wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“If you need anything tonight, call me. I don’t care what time it is.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?” Blake asked as he nuzzled Adam’s neck.

“Annnnd, it just got weird again.” Adam pulled back from the hug, rubbing at his neck as if he’d been given cooties. “I’ll be here at 7:00.”

“Goodnight, Adam. Drive safe.”

“Night, Blake. See you tomorrow.”

Blake watched Adam walk to the elevator before he went to pick up his room service tray and stick it out in the hallway, then bolted the door and turned off the lights. He retrieved a water from the mini-fridge and carried it into the bedroom, crawling under the sheets with a sigh and staring up at the ceiling.

For the first time since their fight on Friday, Blake became hyper aware of the gold ring on his finger. It suddenly felt 2 sizes too small and he fiddled with it on his finger as he debated whether or not to take it off. Since the divorce wasn’t yet final, and they hadn’t publicly announced anything, he knew that if he was seen without it, that it would create more fodder for the tabloids. He had enough on his plate right now. He didn’t need more rumors getting in the way of his divorce.

With a heavy sigh, he laced his fingers over his stomach and closed his eyes, feeling a sense of dread about facing tomorrow. 

“It is what it is,” he sighed to himself, knowing that he’d get through this somehow.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's mostly dialogue in this chapter, but Adam's on the verge of a discovery when it comes to his feelings for Blake. Stay tuned.

Adam looked at the clock on the dash and sighed in annoyance. 7:10. He’d texted Blake at 7:05 to see where he was, and Blake had texted back that he was on his way down. Adam knew he wasn’t the most patient person in the world, but Carson was already going to be waiting on them at the cafe at this rate.

Blake finally emerged from the hotel, sunglasses and a ball cap in place and drink cup in hand. As he climbed in the passenger seat, Adam looked at him in disbelief. 

“Please tell me that’s water.”

“It’s water.” Blake said, taking a sip from the cup before buckling his seat belt.

“Are you lying?”

“Yup.”

“Dude. Seriously!?”

“Calm down, man. It’s just a little hair of the dog, that’s all.”

Adam had a thousand things he wanted to say in response to that, but in his state of exasperation, all he could do was shake his head. “Finish it now because I’m not putting the car in drive until you do.”

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Blake cast a sideways look at Adam before emptying the contents of his cup.

Too exasperated to answer, Adam just sighed and jammed the car into drive before nearly peeling out onto the street. 

Blake knew better than to needle Adam when he was in a mood, but he just couldn’t help himself. “This is regret, isn’t it? You regret not staying with me last night and finding out just how wild I am in bed.”

“Yeah,” Adam deadpanned, keeping his eyes on the road. “That’s exactly what this is.”

“I knew it.” Blake grinned. “I knew that’s why you got so flustered last night when I asked you about hookin’ up. Deep down you were like ‘Oh my god, how did he know? It’s a dream come true!’”

Despite being pissed off that Blake had started drinking so early in the morning, Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Yeah? Well, this idiot just made you laugh, so I’m gonna consider that Blake-1, Adam-busted.”

Adam laughed again, unable to stay seriously angry at the other man for too long. He didn’t want the conversation to get too heavy by asking how Blake was doing, but it was hard to tell between the drinking and the jokes. “So...um...how are you doing...y’know...with everything?”

Blake nodded quietly. “I...I dunno, man. It still doesn’t feel real. I know I filed the papers, and I know she signed them, but I’m still sitting here sayin’, ‘Did that really just happen?’”

“Do you still think you did the right thing?”

There was silence from the other side of the car for several moments; long enough that Adam actually glanced over at Blake in concern before the other man finally answered. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I did.”

When they arrived at the cafe, Carson was already seated at a table and stood as the other two men approached. He greeted Blake with a brotherly hug, offering his condolences. “Adam told me what happened. I’m really sorry, bro.”

Blake could only nod, his arms squeezing Carson tight before he let go and sat down next to Adam at the table. Adam watched as Blake fiddled with the silverware on the table, obviously trying to preoccupy himself from his own thoughts.

“We should go out and do something tonight,” Adam suggested. “Find some little dive club and shoot pool or something.”

“I don’t care what we do as long as there’s alcohol involved.”

Adam and Carson exchanged a glance across the table before Adam picked up one of the menus and flipped it open, trying to change the subject. “You know what sounds really good right now? Pancakes.”

Blake set the fork in his hand down with a little more force than was necessary, feeling annoyed by Adam’s constant judgement about his drinking. “Alright, I get it. You’ve got a problem with me drinking, but tell me either of you wouldn’t want to be drunk off your asses if you were in my shoes right now.”

“If it was just because of this, then yeah, I might get it,” Adam shot back. “But, dude, you’re almost always drinking. You’re just using this as an excuse to drink more. That’s what I have a problem with!”

“Look man, I appreciate your concern, but it’s not like that.”

“Bullshit.” Adam called, sitting back and crossing his arms as he pinned Blake with a challenging look.

“It’s not!”

“So, whatever you’re drinking when we’re on set isn’t alcohol?”

“I didn’t say that--”

“And you’re not drinking more now because of the divorce thing?”

Blake stared at Adam with an annoyed expression before looking over at Carson, “You agree with him?”

Carson gave a slight shrug. “He’s not lying, Blake.”

“I know he’s not, but you guys’ve got it all wrong!”

“Then explain,” Adam said, steepling his hands in front of him. “Please. Help us help you.”

“This is ridiculous.” Blake shook his head. “Is this why you invited Carson to breakfast? Some sort of bullshit intervention or something?”

“No, but if that’s what this needs to be, then...fine. It’s an intervention.”

“I don’t know how else to say this...I don’t have a drinking problem.”

“Yes! You do!” Adam threw his hands up in exasperation. “All you can think about is your next drink!”

“Why do you care so much anyways?”

“Because I love you, man. I don’t want to see you become an alcoholic.” Adam said honestly, before realizing who he’d just said those words to. “And, don’t make that weird, alright?”

Blake was surprised by the earnestness in Adam’s voice, meeting the other man’s eyes for a long minute before he looked down at his lap and started picking at the edges of his napkin. “I promise you, I’m not an alcoholic. Do I drink? Yeah. But…” Blake sighed. “Look, the whole celebrity thing, being in front of cameras and on TV...that doesn’t come naturally to me like it does to y’all. I get nervous. Really nervous. Hell, I even get nervous before a gig. That’s why I drink when we’re filming. The whole liquid courage thing. I couldn’t do all this if I wasn’t buzzing a little bit.”

It was Carson who spoke this time, drawing Blake’s gaze up from his lap. “Then why do this? I mean you’ve been a judge on other shows...why keep putting yourself through it if it makes you so nervous?”

“Because as nervous as I get, I also enjoy it. I love the little family we have between us on The Voice. I love hearing the artists who audition, and getting to work with the ones we pick for our teams. It’s just the audience and the cameras I don’t like. Knowing that thousands of people are watching me. That freaks me out.”

“And last night?” Adam asked quietly.

Blake gave him a somber look, “Can you really blame me? Look, man, I know I don’t drink for the right reasons, but I promise you...I’m not an alcoholic.”

Adam leaned over and wrapped his arms around Blake, hugging him tightly. “I just worry about you, dude. I don’t want something to happen to you; and don’t think I won’t drag your ass to rehab if you really do have a problem.”

“There are better things you could do with my ass if you really wanted to.”

“Shut the fuck up, Blake.”

With the air cleared and the mood, once again, lightened, the three ordered breakfast and razzed each other about who was going to win this season of The Voice. Carson had already sided with Gwen Stefani, citing that the show needed a female win.

“Pharrell is kind of the dark horse in the race, though,” Blake countered. “He acts all quiet and calm and lovable, but I know there’s a shark under there just waiting to smell blood in the water.”

“That’s true,” Adam agreed, cutting into his stack of pancakes. “He’s tasted victory, he’s going to want another hit of that.”

“Just as long as you don’t win,” Blake smirked.

“Man, whatever. I’m going to wipe the floor with your face.” 

“You can’t even reach it from down there.”

“Hey! You know what, Gigantor? It isn’t nice to make fun of someone’s height when you’re freakishly tall. In case you haven’t noticed, Carson and I are both average height. A-ver-age.”

“Yeah, but you are still shorter than me, Adam,” Carson quipped.

Adam tore off a piece of bacon from his plate and threw it across the table. “Traitor.” 

“Just face it, Adam. You’re vertically challenged. And that’s okay.”

“Screw you guys.” Adam stuffed the last bite of pancake in his mouth, chewing noisily as he sat back. “So, seriously. What do you want to do tonight?”

“Is ‘get laid’ an option?”

“Dude. No. I’m not taking you out to be your wing man while you try to score.” Adam looked around and lowered his voice. “Besides, if you haven’t exactly gone public yet, taking chicks back to your hotel isn’t going to look very good for you.”

“I guess you’re right.” Blake sighed then looked over at Carson. “Pool sound good to you?”

Carson shrugged. “I’m game for anything.”

“Alright then, Kemo Sabe,” Blake looked back at Adam. “Find us a good place to play some pool tonight.”

“You got it, big man.” Adam said as he stole a piece of sausage off Blake’s plate.

He watched as Carson and Blake talked, not really paying attention to their conversation as he tried to mull over what had been said. He sort of understood Blake’s reason for drinking as much as he did, but he still didn’t like it. Blake had never seemed like the sort who would be nervous about anything, or let it bother him to the point where he relied on alcohol to get through it...but then again, Adam had never known a ‘sober’ Blake Shelton. 

It suddenly put things into perspective about how little he really did know about Blake. Adam had always considered that they were really good friends. They knew things about each other that most people didn’t, so how did he not know this about Blake? They’d never seriously talked about his drinking, always just passing it off as a joke instead, but it bothered him more than he was willing to admit and he wasn’t really sure why. Sure he was concerned for Blake’s health, but it felt like there was something deeper than that, almost something protective about the way Adam was feeling. 

Before he could reach an epiphany on just what that feeling was, Blake elbowed him and drew him out of his silent reverie. “If you think we’re picking up your check, think again, jackass.”

Adam blinked and saw that the checks had, indeed, been delivered to the table. He pulled out his wallet and took out enough cash to cover the bill and a tip, then stuffed the wallet back in his pocket. “Come on, dickhead, let’s get out of here.” 

TBC


End file.
